June is PRIDE month and we, as a fellowship, are celebrating with our art display, in our worship services, and even at our table at PRIDE Prom.
I’ve read a lot of what I frankly see as nonsense from people claiming to be religious pointing to the sin of pride as a parallel to PRIDE month and using it as evidence of the sinful nature of our siblings in the LGBTQIA2+ community. While I don’t always take the the time to respond to these types of things, I’ve seen so much of it recently, that I felt it was something that needed to be addressed by a member of clergy that can speak the same language.
In Matthew 5:39, Jesus, in the familiar Sermon on the Mount, says, “if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek, also.” This verse has been used to convince Christians that they are meant to allow people to hurt them without retaliation or even defending themselves.
…That was not the point.
In times when things were, shall we say, less hygienic, a slap to the right cheek would be done with the back of the right hand. It was a big insult in that day and would be done to show dominance over another.
Turning to expose the left cheek would give the offender the option to do one of three things;
Repeat the offense with their less than hygienic (and probably non dominant) hand. Requiring that the offender double down on their insults by hitting someone with a hand that likely has feces on it and weakening the force with which they could hit bc it is the non dominant hand.
Repeat the offense with the right hand, but now slapping with the palm side of the hand which was only done between people who were equal and therefore rejecting the dominance implied with the first backhanded slap.
Stop the assault all together bc they second guess themselves.
Turning the other cheek is a protest. It’s a statement that proclaims a person’s worth in the situation; it’s a statement that says, “you are not better than me. I deserve the same rights and respect as you. How you proceed is about YOU and not about me.”
Scriptures condemn pride as an attitude of staunch independence and arrogance. It implies a lack of humility and grace. That we don’t need God or anyone else. (Sounds like patriotism, to me, but I digress).
PRIDE is in all caps because it is an acronym. Personal Rights in Defense and Education was formed in the 1960s as an activism group for the rights of gay people, especially when dealing with police. This escalated after the Stonewall massacre. This organization fiercely demanded that gay people were treated with dignity and respect.
Celebrating PRIDE has nothing to do the sin of pride. PRIDE is turning the other cheek. It is demanding equal and just treatment.
PRIDE is a movement. It’s more than a parade or a party. It asks that we do something to demand equal justice for our siblings. You can celebrate PRIDE this Sunday and every Sunday all year round, by adding pronouns to your name tag in the fellowship. There are labels on the foyer table to add to your name tag. This is a very simple step that we can do to “turn the other cheek.” And it’s important. It’s important because if our gay siblings can’t count on us to do something this simple, how can they trust us if they are in danger?
PRIDE, as the posters given out at prom said, is indeed a protest.
Until next time, get loud and get proud because love is love. Rev Mary (she/her)